Articles Posted in Firm News

Our managing partner Ben Rubinowitz has been asked by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy to join a group of experts throughout the country to teach lawyers to become Child Advocate Attorneys. The program, sponsored by Facebook, Baker McKenzie and NITA, will teach Corporate in-house and Public Interest Advocates how to represent vulnerable youth in children’s cases involving immigration, child welfare, juvenile justice, education and substance abuse cases. “More than ever these children need good, solid representation,” said Ben Rubinowitz “especially with what is going on with the unfortunate child separation policy recently enacted by our government. Clearly, these children have no idea how to navigate their way through the legal system and can suffer life long injuries if not represented properly. I am honored to be a part of this program.” Rubinowitz, who is donating his time, explained, “These lawyers are truly champions of children”s rights. They will make a difference. I applaud the efforts of Facebook in donating their facility and all the lawyers who are so generously giving their time to help children in their time of need. Some of these children have had their lives turned upside down, some have been forced into prostitution, some have become drug users and many are just too afraid to speak up. This is why advocates are needed.” The program will be held at Facebook’s Menlo Park facility in California from August 21 through August 24, 2018.

For 100 years, we at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf have had the privilege of representing individuals and families whose lives were torn apart in an instant because of another person’s negligent conduct.

Through our clients’ lives we see the unimaginable: pain on parents’ faces as they struggle to accept that their child is dead; pain on a child’s face when the child realizes that their Mom or Dad will not be coming home; someone trying to learn to walk again after suffering a devastating spinal cord injury; spouses realizing that their partner in life is not the same after suffering a life changing injury.  At our firm we work tirelessly to right these wrongs that result in families being torn apart.  Our work is motivated by the fact that every day we witness firsthand what happens to families when a loved one is injured or lost.  We know our clients would do anything to make their families whole again. We know there is nothing more important to them than their health and the health, safety and well being of their family and friends.

That is why we feel obligated to speak out against the policy recently implemented by the government of separating families who seek shelter and a better life in the United States.  The fact that our government is intentionally separating children from their parents and purposefully causing unbearable suffering goes against everything that we stand for.  The harm that occurs when a family is torn apart, whether through negligent or intentional conduct, is irreparable.  This unconscionable policy must come to an end.